There is a need in certain areas of endeavor for the use of a protective covering for the forearm. Such a device is usefully employed by, for example, artists, craftsmen, cooks and other food processors, medical personnel and the like, who handle liquid or semi-liquid materials. There are examples in the prior art of devices useful for this purpose. However, insofar as we are aware, all of the prior art devices suffer from certain shortcomings, either in the area of performance, high cost, difficulty or inconvenience of use, or combinations of one or more of the foregoing.
Pursuant to the invention, a simple, highly effective, reversible forearm cover device is provided, which is inexpensive to produce, conveniently dispensed and utilized, and easily disposed of. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a protective web material is formed of a composite laminate comprised of a plastic film on one side and paper toweling on the other. Two such composite webs are arranged face-to-face, with the plastic film layers on the inside, and the composite web laminates are joined together along spaced-apart, strip-like bonding areas by heat sealing or otherwise. The strip-like bonding areas extend along generally transverse lines to form successive sections of flat tubular form. Lines of weakness extend transversely along the bonding areas, to enable successive flat tubular sections to be torn free of an otherwise continuous supply of the web material. Preferably, individual tubular sections of the material are formed of trapezoidal configuration, narrower at one end than the other, to conform better to typical forearm contours. Where desired, elastic or expandable bands may be provided separately, for securing the forearm protectors snugly to the wearer during use.
The device of the invention may be easily dispensed in continuous roll form, or from a box. If desired, the protector devices may be pre-cut and dispensed individually.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and to the accompanying drawings.